The government has announced a £9 million funding boost to help double the number of intensive supervision courts - which it describes as ‘tough Texas-style’.

Intensive supervision courts, piloted in Liverpool, Teesside and Birmingham in 2023, aim to cut reoffending by focusing on offenders whose addictions have driven their criminal behaviour.

Low-level offenders are ordered to attend weekly sessions and regularly appear before the same judge who will track their behaviour, reserving prison spaces for those who need them. Defendants who fail to attend, continue to misuse substances or refuse to engage in mandatory treatment courses will face tagging or time in prison for breaching their conditions.

The Ministry of Justice said ‘problem-solving’ courts have reduced reoffending across the world, with jurisdictions using this model seeing a reduction in further arrest by a third. 

In announcing the cash boost, the MoJ said the approach in Texas ‘helped drive significant reduction in the prison population and contributed to a 29 per cent drop in crime’.

Currently there are five intensive supervision courts: four pilot courts in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Teesside with a fifth court due to open in Liverpool later this year. An evaluation of the pilot scheme showed two thirds of offenders did not breach their orders and those with ‘significant’ addiction issues received a clean drug test two thirds of the time.

Probation staff, the judiciary and local services like drug treatment providers also reported that offenders’ drug and alcohol use had reduced and those requiring help with their mental health were receiving the right support.

Read more

The £9m funding will now expand the intensive supervision courts to 11 across the country, with a specific focus on prolific offenders, women and those with substance misuse issues.

Lord chancellor David Lammy said: ‘Prolific offending often goes hand in hand with addiction and trauma, and tackling that can help cut crime.  These tough new courts ensure offenders are held to account while giving them the tools they need to turn their lives round for good, reducing reoffending and making our streets safer in the process.’

Baroness Merron (the former MP Gillian Merron), parliamentary under-secretary of state for women’s and mental health, said: ‘We know that custody alone does little to rehabilitate offenders, particularly those whose crimes are driven by addiction or mental health issues.

‘This initiative will help them turn their lives around by unpacking these issues and giving them the support they need to turn their backs on crime for good. Through this we can cut reoffending and make communities safer, while getting those often left behind back on their feet and contributing to society again.’